


Molecular Overload

by katling



Series: Tony Stark Bingo [35]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: All deaths off screen, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But Not Tony, Civil War Team Iron Man, Gen, I put the Major Character Death tag on it, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), because many people die, moderated for my peace of mind, not team Cap friendly, vibranium
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27280339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katling/pseuds/katling
Summary: In 1883, the explosion of Krakatoa was heard around the world. Six months after the Civil War, there was another explosion heard around the world.Written for the Tony Stark Bingo - Card 4062, Square K5: Worst Case Scenario
Series: Tony Stark Bingo [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1270763
Comments: 51
Kudos: 806
Collections: Tony Stark Bingo Mark IV





	Molecular Overload

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently it's Marvel canon that vibranium absorbs kinetic energy and doesn't disperse it. Which seems like a recipe for trouble to me. And that's what happens in this fic.

One random factoid that Tony had learned when he was at school was that in 1883 it was said that the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano was heard around the world. He had no idea how true that was but he could say with complete honesty that the explosion that had occurred in Wakanda had been heard in Geneva, Switzerland where he’d been meeting with some members of the Accords Council… and from what Pepper had to say, in New York as well. There were constant reports coming in from around the world to add to the distance from which the boom had been heard.

As he hovered high over the massive crater that appeared to encompass all of what had once been Wakanda as well as parts of the surrounding countries, he could only shudder at the thought of what must have happened. He was somewhat of an expert in explosions and the kindest thing he could say was that at least the people of Wakanda had died quickly.

“Well, FRI?” he finally asked, once he was able to speak past his horror.

“There’s no sign of life, boss,” she replied, her voice subdued. “The crater reaches down several miles and appears to be highly unstable.”

As they watched, there were additional smaller explosions within the crater, causing more collapses. Tony swooped down as close as he dared and saw that the explosions came from small patches of vibranium.

“Scan any remaining vibranium, FRI,” he said, frowning thoughtfully.

“I’m picking up high energy readings from many of the remaining chunks of vibranium.” Tony’s HUD displayed an overlay showing the various bits of metal scattered through the crater. She broke off as one of the high energy chunks they were looking at exploded. “And they seem to be the ones exploding.”

“Isolate a few that have low or no energy readings,” Tony said. “Preferably away from the explodey bits.”

“Got it,” Friday said, and four decent sized chunks of vibranium lit up about halfway around the crater.

Tony flew over and gathered the chunks up, taking them up in two trips to the quinjet hovering far above, safely out of the way. Once that was done, he returned to do a proper flyover of the whole area, still with some vain hopes that there might be someone alive. But there was no one. Finally, Tony was forced to admit defeat and he returned to the quinjet.

FRIDAY set the quinjet flying back to New York and Tony let his new nanotech armour retract back into the arc reactor in his chest. Having the reactor put back in after Siberia had deeply sucked but he was approaching it with a philosophical air helped by the therapist Pepper had asked (calmly and with deep emotion) him to start seeing, the Extremis that alleviated the worst issues with it and the fact that without Extremis and the arc reactor, he’d be dead by now.

The comms pinged and Tony accepted the call with a wave of his hand. Shuri’s anxious face appeared immediately and she had two of the Dora Milaje – Ayo and Okoye, if Tony remembered correctly… and he always did – flanking her on either side.

“Dr Stark?” she said, her voice shaking. She seemed unable to articulate anything more.

“It’s gone,” he said as gently as he could. “There… there are no survivors.”

Shuri gulped and let out a sobbing gasp. Both of the Dora wavered, and their faces turned rather grey. Okoye gripped Shuri’s shoulder and didn’t let go.

“What happened,” Okoye asked, her voice as grim as her expression.

Tony hesitated. “I suspect that you might be able to answer that better than I can. I saw pieces of vibranium spontaneously exploding. They had abnormally high energy readings.”

Shuri raised her head, her eyes wide and shocked. “But we…” She broke off and looked away.

Okoye closed her eyes momentarily and her hand tightening briefly on Shuri’s shoulder. “I do not think our secrets matter much anymore, Your Majesty.”

Those last two words shocked Shuri. Tony could see it plain as day as it started to sink in. Her country and almost all of its people were gone. She was now the Queen of whatever was left, of the hundred or so Wakandans who worked in embassies or were otherwise engaged outside of the country. Whatever her people and their country had once been was now gone.

“Vibranium absorbs kinetic energy,” Shuri whispered.

Tony nodded. “I know. That’s why Rogers’ shield would come back to him.”

“But the shield isn’t pure vibranium,” Shuri replied.

Again, Tony nodded. “Dad didn’t have enough. It’s an alloy with about three or four other metals.”

“And those other metals allow the built-up kinetic energy to be disbursed,” Shuri said, her voice growing a little stronger as she concentrated on the science instead of the horror that had now landed on her shoulders. “Usually when the shield comes in contact with something.”

_Or somebody_ , ran through Tony’s mind. He quickly dismissed it, not wanting to get caught up in those dark thoughts. “That’s correct.”

“Pure vibranium doesn’t have that outlet,” she continued. “At least not naturally. Any vibranium that gathers kinetic energy in Wakanda is always drained at least once a year and the energy is fed into the grid for all to use.”

“So… something went wrong,” Tony said slowly.

Shuri frowned and looked distressed. “But I don’t know what it would be! I oversee all of that. Every piece that needs to be drained is checked off every year!”

“Could someone have not registered something?”

Shuri looked uncertain and she exchanged glances with the two Dora. “It’s possible, I suppose, but people know the danger inherent to vibranium, even those who don’t use it. No one would ignore it!”

“I grabbed some of the vibranium that wasn’t on the verge of exploding,” Tony said. “Do you want me to bring them to you or do you want to come to me in New York?”

He watched as Shuri wavered then Okoye, who clearly held some rank, murmured something in her ear. 

“We shall come to New York,” Shuri said, looking a little more determined.

Tony nodded. “Okay, I’ll let Pepper know.”

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Tony disconnected. He felt a certain amount of sympathy for the young Queen… if one could be a queen if your country didn’t technically exist anymore. He also wasn’t sure they could actually learn anything from the vibranium if what Shuri had said was correct. The explosion had been caused by overloading vibranium and figuring out how it had happened didn’t look possible when the vibranium was gone, as was anyone who might have either done the overloading or had seen what had happened before the boom.

He got to his feet and made his way over to the pilot’s chair and slumped down in it, pulling out his phone. 

“FRI?” he said quietly, tapping out a silent command into phone.

“The video and audio is being scrubbed and cycled,” FRIDAY said. “We are private.”

“The trackers?” Tony said, staring at the sky outside the quinjet, finally letting his attention turn to the subject he’d been assiduously avoiding until now.

“Were still in Wakanda when it went boom,” FRIDAY replied. “And the soldier was still on ice.”

Tony nodded silently. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that information. He’d been successfully _not_ thinking about his former teammates in the six months since Siberia and had been evading questions from all sources about what was going to be done with them. He’d also been very firmly not thinking about Barnes, not wanting to tackle that snarl of emotions while he was still physically healing.

But now, he supposed, he didn’t have to think or feel anything except a vague sense of regret. What he was regretting wasn’t something he was entirely sure about just yet. The loss of possibilities and potentials? The loss of any chance to speak his mind? He didn’t know. He just knew he… didn’t miss them. The only sadness he felt was the same kind he might feel for a politician who had been killed.

He would admit, with the part of his mind unconcerned with social proprieties, that having them gone was something of a godsend. He didn’t have to worry that they might come back and rip apart all his work amending the Accords and rebuilding the Avengers. He didn’t have to take into account the fact that they might return at all. He and Rhodey could move on and do what needed to be done, without having to shore up a potential defence to whatever garbage Rogers might spew to the few people left who still believed that Captain America was infallible.

His shoulders straightened a little as he contemplated that freedom and what he could do with it. They were good thoughts and while he didn’t smile – the destruction wrought in Wakanda as a whole kept that from happening – he did let that feeling of freedom wash through him and he relaxed. He turned his thoughts to Shuri and what he might be able to do to help her and let the last remnants of his old team fade into the distance.


End file.
